Mysterious Woman of the Labyrinth
by FassavoyNuffSaid
Summary: In the Labyrinth Sarah stumbles upon a mysterious woman who insists on helping her through the maze. But are this woman's efforts really helping her, or will they stop her from ever saving Toby?
1. Chapter 1

A Stranger walked down the seemingly endless pathway towards an un-expecting Sarah. She looked down at the helpless figure of the petite girl curled up in the fetal position on the ground. After a while of no movement from her, the newcomer frowned and nudged Sarah's head with the tip of her boot.

Startled, Sarah sprang up into a defensive position, but let her guard down when she looked the stranger over and saw that the subject had no weapon. She was a tall figure with a wild mess of poufy curly blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes that seemed to look straight into her soul. She had an attractive face with luscious, plump red lips. She was wearing tight grey pants, black boots, black gloves, a white poet and a black leather under bust corset.

Sarah raised her chin. "Who are you?" she said, trying not to sound inferior when she saw the confidant stance of the stranger.

The girl cocked an eyebrow (with strange familiarity, Sarah thought) and started circling her with her hands on her hips. (Where had she seen that posture before?)

"My name is Hera, and I have been trapped here in this Labyrinth for 3,000 years and you are the key to my way out." Sarah caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing here _really?_" Sarah inquired.

Hera laughed a booming musical laugh, and again Sarah felt something tug at the back of her mind. Something was very familiar about this woman. She seemed fit to be called woman, although she seemed just older than Sarah.

"You're a smart doll," she said in a mocking tone. "But I do not explain my reasons to just anybody, so you will have to learn them in time." Hera smirked at the frustrated look on Sarah's face.

"Well, if you don't mind, I've got to solve this labyrinth in a little less than thirteen hours." Sarah said with a sigh and started off in the opposite direction.

"Ah, Sarah. Always taking things for granted." Hera said and she thrust her arm sideways and seemed to put her hand straight through the brick wall.

Sarah stared at the spot for a bit. "What- wha…" she stuttered as she put her hand out to find the wall much further back then she expected. "Come."Hera said with a commanding tone. She followed Hera around the corner and found herself in a completely different scene.

It was a beautiful garden, with pillars covered in vines and colorful wildflowers that seemed to overgrow the whole place. There was a mermaid fountain in the middle that had water bubbling out of its mouth and it sounded like it was singing. Hera walked down to the edge and pointed into the water so Sarah stepped forward cautiously and was startled to see a very _very_ familiar smirk on Hera's face. She tried not to think about it and looked into the water. She saw an image of Toby, sitting on the Goblin Kings lap.

He seemed to be murmuring something to the baby then he suddenly turned and looked straight at her. She yelped and leaped back from surprise and Hera took her hand and led her back to the edge where Jareth had his full attention to her.

He looked at her with a smirk and shifted his gaze to Hera, and then he laughed as he pointed his riding crop at the clock. Suddenly she could hear his words again in her head "_You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before your baby brother becomes one of us... forever_" and she shuddered. She looked back to Jareth who was looking at Hera again with an eyebrow raised. She nodded and then the image disappeared. Suddenly the mermaid stopped singing. Sarah looked around and felt a low rumble beneath her feet as the water shot up out of the fountain.

Hera grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her toward a very small exit that she would have to crawl through. She started to question Hera about taking a bigger exit when a loud growl interrupted her thoughts. Sarah looked up through the falling water to see a giant black serpent shaking the water out of its feather-like spines. She gasped. It stopped shaking looked down at her with evil red eyes. As it lunged at her, she was suddenly forced down by Hera who had been trying to get her through small the passageway for quite some time. She crawled quickly, trying to keep up with Hera through twists and turns and forks in the tunnel until they came up an opening next to a group of small goblins that jumped up and ran away, some screaming.

"What… was… that?" Sarah asked breathlessly when she finally found her ground.

Hera was lying on the forest floor laughing uncontrollably as she wiped the dust and grime from the tunnel off of her pants. "I don't know, but that was some adventure, right?" she sat up and looked at Sarah with excitement overflowing in her eyes. "I mean, you should have seen your face when that Sejan screeched at you! You were like whooaaa!" Hera flailed her arms and legs and flopped back onto the ground. Sarah couldn't help but start laughing along with her. The goblins that had fled to the trees were now peeking back and started to giggle too.

"Well," Sarah began, "What I meant was what did Jareth look at you like that for?"

"Like what?" Hera asked, she sat up on her elbows and looked down at her thumbs.

Sarah stood up slowly and started pacing in front of Hera. "You're hiding something from me, and I'm going to find out what it is." Hera cocked an eyebrow in that annoyingly familiar way. Sarah sighed. "Well, will you at least tell me something?"

Hera stood up and Sarah realized how short she was in comparison to the mysterious girl. "What would you like to know?" she said with a solemn tone.

Sarah squinted and stood on her tip-toes to get in her face. "Why are you helping me?"

Hera suddenly laughed. "That question can be answered at a different time. What you _do_ want to know is, 'what it is about me that is so familiar'. Am I right?" she said with a slight smirk.

Sarah was shocked. Could she read her mind? No, that was impossible. But then again, this was the Labyrinth. She lifted her chin. "And? I would like to know."

Hera smirked then she stood up to what seemed to be her full height (how could she get any taller? Sarah thought), put her hands on her hips and said with a very imperial tone, "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before your baby brother becomes one of us... forever."

Sarah looked at Hera in shock. "But…. I don't understand."

Hera looked at Sarah in amusement. "Yes Sarah, I think you do. I am Princess Hera of the Goblin Realm, daughter and heir to King Jareth of the Goblin Realm." She smirked as Sarah paled. "Do you understand now?"


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, but this is my first story! *:D( party hat smiley) and it would really help if you write a review and tell me what to do better and tell me what you think of my new character!:) p.s. thanks for reading the next chapter! :3 enjoy, children! More Chapters to Come my darlings!

Sarah was shocked. Why didn't she notice it before? The eyes, the hair, the clothes, the smirk, the posture, and obviously the attitude were the same, Sarah guessed the reason she didn't notice was because she was… well, a She. But she still didn't understand why Hera was helping her. Was she trying to trick her into failing? If that was the plan, she should have waited until she was further.

"I do understand, but I really don't get why you are helping me! If you're on his side, shouldn't you be trying to stop me?" Sarah asked her.

Hera sighed. "Sarah, before I tell you that, there is something you need to know about my past." Sarah looked at her and saw the sorrow in her eyes. She waved her hand and suddenly they were in the living room of a large house. Sarah looked around and saw a blonde little girl sitting in a woman's lap, reading her a story. When she read the cover of the book, she froze. Labyrinth.

"About 150 years ago, I lived in your world until I was four with my human mother." Hera began as the scene came to life. "She was reading Labyrinth to me. I reckon you are familiar with the story." Sarah could hear the woman reading aloud, _I wish the goblins would come and you take you way, right now!_ She said in an evil voice, and the girl giggled.

Suddenly, lightening flashed outside. The mother had a terrified look on her face and she shut the book with a snap! _Mommy, aren't you going to finish the story?_ The little girl asked.

_No, darling. Tomorrow night, ok? Right now it's time for bed_. She said with a smile and led the little girl into a bedroom, and Hera nodded to Sarah to follow. In the bedroom, the mom lifted the covers and the girl hopped into bed. Sarah could see her hands shake as she tucked her in, and wondered what was going to happen next.

The scene muted as Hera explained the rest of the story. "Her voice shook as she told me goodnight, that she loved me, and her hug lasted longer than normal. She kissed my forehead, turned out the light, whispered I love you one last time, and quietly shut the door. That was the last time I saw her. I had sensed that something was wrong, so I jumped out of bed and ran to the door.

"I had just gotten to the door when thunder boomed and the window burst open and a gust of wind blew my nightgown around my legs. I knew that my mother would come running so I shut my eyes tightly and waited for her warm embrace that never came. I felt a hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes to find myself in the castle, and I asked where mommy was." Hera went on.

Sarah could see everything happen in front of her, and she was surprised to see the younger looking Jareth. She almost cried with what he said next, for she could hear them again.

_You are never going to see her again, she wished you away to live with me. _The little girl started to cry and the king looked surprised, like he had never had to deal with emotions like this. He patted her shoulder tenderly and crouched down in front of her, continuing. _You are going to a princess of this land, Hera. You were born for greatness. I am your father, and I promise you will be very happy here. _She looked at him with tear-filled eyes, then she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed, oblivious that he was the one who had separated her from her mother.

Suddenly, Sarah was seeing a fast-forward version of Hera's life, pausing at certain moments: Jareth scolding her for dumping a boiling cauldron of water on some of the soldiers, Hera teaching him how to dance and him teaching her to sing.

It also stopped on a moment that Sarah couldn't quite put together, when Hera was about 8 and there was a big room filled with goblins and Jareth and Hera, with the biggest grin on her face, sitting in thrones in front of a goblin who was reading a proclamation in a different language and they all cheered when he finished with, "Signed, King Jareth".

Jareth looked over at Hera and smiled a little when he saw her grin. He waved his hand forward and she stood up and a goblin put a little tiara on her head and her toothless smile was so big it looked painful.

There was one moment that touched Sarah the most. Hera, about 15, was looking into a crystal ball that she held at her fingertips, staring at it in shock. Jareth walked in, saw the crystal and ran to her. He caught her just before she fell into a dead faint. The crystal dropped to the floor in a million pieces, and Jareth knelt down with her in his arms and tried to revive her. When she opened her eyes, she cried out No! and buried her head in his shoulder sobbing. And then came what shocked Sarah the most, a single tear floated down Jareth's perfect cheek. The she blacked out.

~!#!~

"_Give her the peach, Hera! Or I will have you banished!" the king raved on to her about his plan. "Once you do we will be out of this mess and everything will be fine."_

_Hera looked at her father in anger. "You don't think I could be a good ruler! The only time you cared about me was when Mom died! I don't think you even cared about her!" she said as tears welled in her eyes at the painful memory._

_Jareth's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, "I loved your mother more than you could imagine! It is time to move on, that was over 100 years ago!" and he hit her across the face, his ring leaving a scratch._

_Hera looked at him and said with the tears stinging the wound, "Fine. I will give her your precious peach." She snatched the fruit from his outstretched hand and disappeared into a cloud of smoke; an echo of a scream bounced around the walls and left his ears ringing. He stormed around the throne room for a bit then slumped down on his chair. _

"_Oh, Emily. If only you were here to tell her the truth." Jareth spoke longingly to his long lost love._

_~!#!~_

Sarah awoke on the ground seeing two blurry figures in an intense fight. She tried to lift herself up but her hands were tied, and there was a rag tied over her mouth. As her vision cleared she recognized Hera and some fox creature standing in front of her. They seemed to be arguing about crossing some sort of bridge, the fox would not let her pass. She also could not breathe because of a horrible stench that made her moan and cover her nose with her arm.

Looking back at Sarah, Hera continued to the fox. "See? Now you have awoken my prisoner. You shall pay for your crimes." Sarah watched in shock as Hera raised her hand and moved to strike the poor creature.

"Wait!" cried the creature. "Where are you taking the girl?" he looked around Hera and stared sadly at Sarah.

Hera scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Where do you think, fool? I'm taking her to the Goblin King for trespassing in the Labyrinth. And if you do not obey me, I will take you with me for disobeying orders from your superiors." She sneered at the fox, who hesitated to answer. "What is your name, creature?"

The fox looked at Hera and said with a bowed head, "Sir Didymus, your highness." He cringed, expecting a smack. But he looked up and Sarah was standing, and Hera shot a look at her that made her wish she never did. Hera backhanded her softly but somehow used magic to make it look like it hurt, and Sarah crumpled to the ground.

Hera continued to the fox. "Let us through and I might spare your life! But don't expect the same mercy from the Jareth if you don't."

Sir Didymus sighed and stepped to the side. Hera smirked and lifted Sarah over her shoulder and walked across the bridge. Sarah looked back to him and saw him looking sadly after her and he hung his head.

After they were well out of sight of the bridge keeper, she set Sarah down, untied her hands and removed the gag, Sarah screeched at Hera a load of questions, "Why did you tie me up? And what in the world is that smell? How long has it been? Why are you helping me? Why did you tie me up? WHATS GOING ON?" She put her hands on her head and curled into a ball.

She felt something beside her and felt someone stroking her hair. She raised her head up slowly and saw that Hera had a look of sorrow as she passed her a basket of food. She also noticed a long scratch on her right cheek that looked very fresh.

She sat up and Hera opened the basket. There was plenty of food for someone to last a week. She saw meat, cheese rolls, and bounties of fruit. She grabbed a roll and a peach and was about to dig in when she saw Hera seemed to be holding her breath.

Sarah smiled and offered the peach saying, "Here, there is only one, you have it." Hera quickly declined, "No that's alright, and I'm allergic to peaches anyway." Sarah shrugged and took a big juicy bite of the fruit. She looked up to see if Hera had taken anything, and she was gone. She stood up to look around but she got dizzy as she did. She tried grabbing hold of a tree but everything was dancing around her and she felt like they were teasing her. "Stop it!" she cried to the forest.

She fell down and looked up to see a bubble floating in front of her face. It was the doll in her room! She had always wished she could be the doll, because it had such a beautiful dress and long hair. She closed her eyes at the happy memory of home. She heard music and laughing and opened her eyes. There were so many people in the room that she immediately felt claustrophobic and backed into a man who had a goblin mask on and he laughed evilly and ran off.

She looked down. She was wearing the dress! Suddenly she felt like she had to find someone, and decided to start here. She pushed her way through the crowd and a blonde dancer with a beautifully designed mask was smiling at her tried to take her hand and lead her away. She pulled her hand away and continued through the party. She saw a glimpse of a man who was wearing blue and tried to follow but he disappeared. (_Ok, we all know what happens during this part, do I need to explain?_) Sarah finally saw him, just standing there.

He started to her when the blonde she had seen earlier stood in front of him. Was she trying to lead him away? No! Sarah had to get there. But the man pushed her aside and took Sarah's hand and led her into a waltz. (_um, waltzing. la da da dee dee dum)_ Someone started whispering in her ear. _Tick tick tock, Sarah. Remember what you are looking for. _She turned around but could not find the culprit. She broke away from his grasp when she saw the blonde girl smirking by a table. She ran over but couldn't see her. She looked through the bubble like glass wall and saw her laughing. Angry, she picked up a chair and swung with all her might. She heard screaming and everything was falling. Everything was going black again, and she fought to stay awake. She heard a sigh of relief when lost consciousness.


End file.
